An Unexpected Christmas
by ladeste
Summary: Thatch shares the joys of Christmas with Ace, Sabo and Luffy for their very first Christmas! Can be read as a stand alone piece, or as an out-take of 'Expect the Unexpected'. One shot.


**A-sort-of-outtake from my story Expect the Unexpected, but can be read as a stand alone one shot.**

**BASIC BACKGROUND (for those for haven't read expect the unexpected): **  
** Thatch stumbled across Luffy, Ace and Sabo in the forest and somewhat 'adopts' them to become a makeshift family. **

**Other than that... it's coming up to Christmas and what better way to celebrate then with some of our favourite One Piece characters!**

* * *

Thatch had been acting... shifty.

Ace didn't like it.

They had been living with Thatch for the past two and a bit months during which time Ace's younger and older siblings had become quite taken with their new 'father'. Ace however, didn't trust as easily as the other two.

Admittedly he had warmed to Thatch.

Not enough to openly call him 'Dad' like the other two, but he had been growing used to the continued and constant presence he had in their lives.

It was... nice, for Luffy and Sabo of course. He didn't need anyone besides his siblings.

Thatch's shifty behaviour had therefore not gone unnoticed by the middle child.

It had started nearly a week ago when Thatch had gone into town, insisting that none of the children could accompany him. He had barely even faulted when Luffy used the strongest weapon they had – big brown eyes, and a pouting bottom lip.

It was unnatural and he would sit by and watch as his siblings got hurt.

Rolling over in his bed to face Sabo, Ace called out to him softly, not wanting to disturb Luffy who had already fallen asleep.

"Sabo?"

"Mmm?"

"I think it's time we left."

Although Ace couldn't see it, Sabo raised a sleepy eyebrow in his brother's direction.

"Why? Thatch said we could stay and Luffy likes him."

Ace released a sigh. All he had to do was convince Sabo. Once Sabo was convinced it would merely be a matter of picking Luffy up and going.

"I just don't think we should trust him."

Slightly more awake then he was before, Sabo propped himself up on his elbow.

"Luffy–"

"Luffy's not a perfect judge of character, everyone makes mistakes."

Ace found himself to be the prime example. Luffy almost had a sixth sense for sniffing out those that were deemed 'good' and those that were deemed 'bad' – at least by Luffy standards. Yet here he was, the son of the devil himself that had somehow ended up in the 'good' not 'bad' category. Of course, he would do anything to protect his siblings if the need arose, but that didn't stop the tainted blood that travelled through his veins.

Luffy's sense therefore had flaws, which was exactly why they couldn't trust Thatch.

It was Sabo's turn to sigh as Ace sought to discredit Luffy's uncanny ability.

Whilst the power didn't come from a devil fruit, he had never seen it fail.

"Ace, even if we didn't take Luffy into consideration, it doesn't change the fact that Da– Thatch hasn't done anything that suggests we can't trust him."

"He's just lulling us into a false sense of security!"

Sabo deadpanned. Really? Thatch's patience level left much to be desired... there was no way he had waited over two month in order to 'lull them into a false sense of security'.

"You're being absurd Ace."

"No I'm not he's been acting shifty!"

Both boys hissed as Luffy tossed around trying to find a better position to sleep.

The conversation paused, with three sets of breathing the only thing filling the silence. Once the youngest sibling had settled back down, Ace spoke again, keeping his voice low.

"He's been going out lately and not letting us go with him."

Sabo couldn't deny that the behaviour was unusual. Normally Thatch let them go where ever they wanted, even if it was the more dangerous parts of the Gray Terminal.

"Maybe he just wants some alone time. You can't expect him to want to spend all his time with us... Maybe he just had private things to do, things that don't involve us."

Ace's under breath mutterings were too quiet for Sabo to make out what was actually being said. He didn't want to argue with his brother, but Ace's judgement of character was not as accurate as Luffy's was.

He was being illogical.

He was sure Thatch would have a good reason for his behaviour. Smiling at his stroke of genius, Sabo settled back down under his blanket.

"Ace, if it really bothers you that much we'll ask him about it tomorrow, and if he doesn't give a good enough reason we'll head back to the forest, okay?"

At first Ace said nothing.

What if they asked and then when Thatch realised he had been caught, lashed out at them?

It would prove his point, but they'd be putting Luffy in danger.

Finally his desire to prove Thatch untrustworthy won out.

"Fine. As long as you ask him in the morning."

"Fine. Now go to sleep."

Ace snorted at Sabo's obvious pleasure in having the conversation over with.

Within a few minutes, Ace could hear Sabo's breathing even out, as he continued to stare at the ceiling.

Sabo and Luffy were all that he had.

No one would take them from him.

Slowly, Ace's thoughts became clouded with sleep.

~~~~ ASL ~~~~ ASL ~~~~ ASL ~~~~

"WALE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!"

Three young bodies jerked awake with a start, as an overly energetic Thatch bounced around the room.

"What are you all doing asleep?! The sun is shining, the birds are singing and IT'S CHRISTMAS!"

A sleepy eyed Luffy watched Thatch with a confused curiosity.

"What's Christmas?"

"Christmas! You know!"

Not receiving an answer from Luffy, Thatch carried on with his poor explanation of Christmas.

"Come on kid's work with me... Like 'deck the halls with bounds of holly' type Christmas!"

Luffy's eyes brightened at the introduction to an unknown possibility that has Thatch had said, people decked halls with it, which could only mean...

"I get it! It's a food!"

Thatch let his head slump as imaginary rain clouds stormed over him.

'_Why oh why Lord?'_

It really shouldn't have surprised him that his newly 'adopted' children didn't know what Christmas was. After all, they had spent a portion if not the majority (in Ace's case) of their lives running around a forest, but it was CHRISTMAS! It's the best holiday of the year!

Sabo taking pity on Thatch's clear distress and his sibling's naivety, tried to explain it in a way that Luffy would at least somewhat understand.

"No Luffy you don't eat it."

Luffy's excitement visibly diminished as the new food was revealed as not being a food at all.

"Holly is a type of plant – not for eating. Christmas..."

Sabo paused. It was a difficult thing to explain when he didn't really understand where it had come from in the first place.

"It's just a day of the year when people celebrate something by giving each other presents. I guess there's also food as well... but I think the main focus is presents."

"It's not _**just**_ a day of the year; it's the _**best **_day of the year!"

"It sounds stupid."

Thatch looked like a wounded animal at Ace's blatant disrespect for his favourite day.

Ace however, had not forgotten the agenda he had set for the day, regardless of this 'Christmas' celebration or not.

Sabo sighed as Ace sent him a look which clearly meant 'you promised, now do it'.

"Thatch, Ace wants me to ask why you've been acting strange all this week."

"Strange? I didn't say strange, I said he'd been shifty!"

Thatch was not pleased being called strange or shifty, the words like arrows in his poor, unprotected heart. Luffy apparently agreed with Thatch's sentiments, climbing onto Thatch's shoulders in a show of support.

"Shifty? Me?! I'm not shifty! I'm as subtle as a fly on the wall, besides, the whole point of presents is that they're supposed to be a surprise. They can't be a surprise if you're with me when I buy them!"

Sabo just shook his head in disbelief at Ace, and at Thatch.

Ace needed to trust people more– if Luffy liked Thatch he should have just accepted that Thatch was in fact a good guy. Not to mention that clearly Thatch's 'shifty' behaviour was indeed innocent.

As for Thatch... the notion of an angry bull in a shop full of glass was closer to the truth when it came to him being 'subtle'.

Subtle would have been waiting for the three of them to go exploring on their own before going out to buy whatever it was he had bought them.

Subtle was not informing them that they had to stay at home whilst he went 'out' to an unknown location and then upon returning, rushing into his room and avoiding them, until he came out to the kitchen whistling some stupid, but often catchy jingle.

Honestly.

Sometimes he felt like he was the adult!

"Presents? You bought us presents!"

The excitement that rippled through Luffy was contagious, as Thatch's disappointment over the accusations vanished, only to be replaced with his own child-like excitement.

"Uh-huh. Course I did! This is going to be the best Christmas ever!"

Luffy's arms flung into the air with a cheer of excitement.

"YAY! CHRISTMAS!"

The infection seemed to be spreading as Sabo felt himself smiling, and whilst Ace would deny it for years to come, the corners of his lips curled up in the faintest of smiles.

"Hahaha, alright, so are we going to open presents first or eat first?"

"Presents! Food! Presents! Food!"

Luffy looked positively divided over the two options Thatch had given.

Ace took the decision out of Luffy's hands, when his stomach released an impressive growl.

The other three persons sniggered at Ace's reddening cheeks.

"Alright! Food it is!"

Luffy cheered again, before clutching on tighter to Thatch's head as he led the way to the kitchen.

As the three stepped (or in Luffy's case was carried) out of their bedroom, they gasped, completely shocked at the festive decorations that had overtaken the house.

"WOW! DAD! Did you do all this?!"

"Sure did!"

Ace couldn't deny he was impressed. Every square inch of space was covered in red and green tinsel, with the occasional splattering of gold and silver mixed in.

In the corner of the kitchen sat a fully decorated tree, with a gold star sitting on top.

How had Thatch managed to do all of this without any of them hearing?

He knew he and Luffy were heavy sleepers, but surely Thatch would have at least disturbed Sabo?

Examining Sabo's awed face it appeared that he had been wrong.

Thatch was perhaps sneakier than Sabo gave him credit for.

"How the hell did you get that in here?!"

Thatch merely grinned at Ace offering no further explanation other than a wink and a plate.

Extracting Luffy off his head, Thatch passed out another two plates, before bringing over a mountain of pancakes, bacon, eggs and other goodness that had been keeping warm in the oven.

All three children were openly drooling at the sight of the assortment of food.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in!"

Having become wiser over the past two months, Thatch doubled back to the oven to pull out his own potion of breakfast, whilst leaving the boys to inhale the food he had given them.

He had never seen anyone eat the way the three of them consumed food, and he seriously doubted he would ever see anything like it again.

They were definitely one of a kind.

Abandoning their plates as soon as they were finished, Luffy was quick to resume an unrestrained excitement over the prospect of presents.

Thatch herded them towards the tree, scooping up three presents.

"Mmm... let me see... 'To Thatch', oops! Not that one! Let's see this one... 'To Thatch'... oops another one for me!"

Sabo snickered at Thatch's theatrics.

Luffy however watched on with a level of fear, what if they didn't get anything?

"Last one... who could this be for? Mmm... 'To Tha–' wait, no, 'To Luffy', ah not for me then."

Thatch mock pouted as he handed the box to Luffy, before smirking and handing the other two boxes to Ace and Sabo, their names clearly written on the attached tags.

Luffy was quick to tear away at the paper that hid a promise of a present, whilst Sabo painstakingly lifted away the tape that held the wrapping together – obviously trying to savour the moment in a way that Luffy couldn't.

Pulling his eyes away from his siblings, Ace returned his focus on his own box.

Shaking it slightly Ace tried to think of what could be inside.

Thatch hadn't tried to stop him when he shook it, so it couldn't be breakable.

It could be a weapon of some kind.

That would have been something practical, but then again, it was from Thatch...

Deciding there was only one way to find out, Ace followed Luffy's lead and tore away at the wrapping, not caring where the scraps of paper went.

Inside revealed a plain white box, one that gave nothing away to the contents inside.

This time, at a much slower pace, Ace eased the lid off the box to peer inside.

Dropping the lid beside him Ace couldn't help as a smile took over his face.

"Is this really for me?"

"Of course it is Ace!"

Thatch laughed at Ace, enjoying the waves of satisfaction for choosing the right gift.

Ace's gift had taken him the longest to decide on. Thatch knew even now, Ace still had trouble trusting him. He didn't mind though, well, not really. It was clear that none of them had been given a fair go in life, and Ace's mistrust was just his way of coping with the world.

Thatch may not have known the details, but he knew, in time Ace would come to trust him like Sabo and Luffy already did.

Ace meanwhile, carefully reached into the box to retrieve his newest treasure, it was even in his two favourite colours.

Inside sat a bright orange cowboy hat, the brim supporting a row of red beads and two faces showing different expressions.

"Oh cool! Sabo look! Ace got a hat!"

Sabo moved his attention away from his new pair of goggles to examine Ace's present.

It was a good choice and suited Ace perfectly.

"Well? Try it on!"

Ace laughed at Luffy's insistent behaviour.

"Alright, hold on."

Placing it on his head, Ace smiled as it fell over his eyes slightly. He pushed it back to reveal the front of his hair.

Like Luffy, his hat was a little too big for him now, but he had no doubts that they would grow into them sooner or later.

As Luffy and Sabo joined him in wearing their hats, Ace realised that everyone had been right.

Sabo and Luffy were right in believing in Thatch.

Whilst Thatch... Thatch had also been right...

It was the best Christmas ever.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it! **

**Even if you don't participate in the Christmas holiday, I hope everyone has a safe and happy winter/summer holiday and enjoys their time off!**


End file.
